eBay

maimaimai90 · ‎10-11-2019

First off, I'm not trying to start a b*tch-fest about slow sales, I'm just trying to figure out what happened to my store and see if it's happened to others.

In my case, sales have declined month-over-month by an average of 15-20% since February. The strange thing is that the decline is a clean straight line down. Nothing cyclical, nothing seasonal, nothing random and very consistent. I thought there was a practical limit as to how far sales could decline - you have to bottom out somewhere - but I was wrong. This month I'm down 12% again.

The absolute bottom - zero - is now within sight, and probably just a few months off. Well, I have a few regular customers and there are always a few random sales, but I'll be doing less than $25 in sales per day soon. After selling for nearly 3 years on eBay and having ups and downs but overall success, that's a point I never thought I'd reach.

Yes, yes, I've worked overtime to try to stem the decline. You name it, I did it. No need to make a list. It's been 8 months of trying now, but the effort is all in vain. As best as I can tell, eBay 'de-ranks' accounts, and down you go. Straight down. Like, in a perfectly straight and very non-random line down.

Whatever, my energy is now on the other platforms. While each has its advantages, eBay was my first selling platform and the sentimental favorite. For small sellers with ambition, it was pretty much the ideal place to start and grow. When people ask me these days for advice on how to start selling, it's hard to say that eBay is the place to go. Actually, it feels like eBay has told me where to go.

We know they are trying to become Amazon-lite - FBE, the public catalog model etc. - so are they trying to push out the smaller sellers and cede that market to the 'other platforms' that shall remain nameless, and skew eBay toward the heavy hitters that sell on Amazon?

Who knows. There's obviously turmoil at the top. Life at the eBay bottom hasn't been so great either. Well, movin' on.

hawkwind5454 · ‎10-13-2019

@hurryagain wrote:

I really can't see eBay going toe to toe with the big A...good luck to that idea.

I think eBay has finally realized that ship sailed long ago. If they haven't, they're worse off than I think they are.

theelectronicpawnshop · ‎10-13-2019

Hello,

Yes I've noticed a decline sales as well this year. Although partly I know the reason on my end, I would like to voice a complaint about "promoted" listings. Promoted listings are regular listings that for a fee, get a high spot on the search query and therefore more visibility which is likely to result in a higher chance of it selling (in theory anyway, I would like to see the research numbers on this one). My gripe is that I view it as unfair. I don't actually know if a promoted listing is likelier to sell or not based on other factors (seller reputation, shipping time/cost, available substitutes, etc) but it does seem to discount reputable sellers who pay a store fee as well who have items that qualify for the top rated plus badge by offering free shipping and free returns. The promoted listing option just comes across as a cheap gimmick to make a buck. I would liken it to overdraft fees but I don't think it to be that low. My question to you though, do you think it just might be recession caused or just that your listings are not being displayed more outright to viable buyers? Thanks very much for your time, my friend.

uncseniorsportsfan · ‎10-13-2019

I'm in the camp that slow eBay sales have nothing to do with a recession or the economy Ecommerce overall is still growing and doing very well. Increased shipping costs and competition are certainly factors, but they have been a trend for years.

eBay has been increasingly using things like free shipping, best offers, free returns, and promoted listings in their search algorithms to manipulate visibility which in turn impacts sales. They have cannibalized some sales by showing cheaper listings when a buyer goes to purchase an item resulting in more non-payments and cancelled sales. It doesn't hurt eBay as much because they still record a sale, but it does hurt some of the sellers involved who are losing sales due to eBay's machinations.

I also think not all the servers are searchable at the same time or in all regions. Whether that is intentional or a technical glitch - I don't know. EBay's technical support staff has never seemed to be overly competent.

JMHO

north40sales · ‎10-13-2019

Those kinds of sales venues do exist that cater to a specific type of product. They usually start small and slow but can gain momentum when used. LEsson here is to search out and use multiple venues.

maimaimai90 · ‎10-19-2019

I've stopped trying to compete on price. It doesn't really matter. I believe that ebay knows its buyers well, and can direct its best buyers to whatever seller it wants. After ebay 'reset' my account, I got a high-value order from a buyer who purchased 4 items at once. Then after a few days of sales, back to the cellar. Not a coincidence.

I raised my price recently on an item that I sold at break-even because - what's the point - ebay is over for me. Sure enough, I had a '5-quantity' sale of this item soon after. Doesn't make any sense, except that ebay threw me a bone to string me along for another month of subscription fees - I guess.

Whatever. Once again, I'm down another 20% this month. My sales are so low it's no longer worth worrying about. Whatever I represent to ebay as a seller, they've made it clear that I'm not important to their platform, so I'll reluctantly move on. I gave my ebay customers epic fast shipping, value for the dollar, great quality products, and excellent and hassle-free customer service. But that's not enough to be a part of the ebay community of sellers. Fair enough.

Good luck in the future ebay. (I think you'll need it.)

div_style · ‎10-19-2019

Likely the best way to sell stuff on eBay today is to have bought the stuff 25 years ago.

List more, sell more. Goodwill that other, uh, stuff.

Feeling sleepy? There's an app for that.

monstertoybox · ‎10-19-2019

@maimaimai90 wrote:
I've stopped trying to compete on price. It doesn't really matter. I believe that ebay knows its buyers well, and can direct its best buyers to whatever seller it wants. After ebay 'reset' my account, I got a high-value order from a buyer who purchased 4 items at once. Then after a few days of sales, back to the cellar. Not a coincidence.

I raised my price recently on an item that I sold at break-even because - what's the point - ebay is over for me. Sure enough, I had a '5-quantity' sale of this item soon after. Doesn't make any sense, except that ebay threw me a bone to string me along for another month of subscription fees - I guess.

Whatever. Once again, I'm down another 20% this month. My sales are so low it's no longer worth worrying about. Whatever I represent to ebay as a seller, they've made it clear that I'm not important to their platform, so I'll reluctantly move on. I gave my ebay customers epic fast shipping, value for the dollar, great quality products, and excellent and hassle-free customer service. But that's not enough to be a part of the ebay community of sellers. Fair enough.

Good luck in the future ebay. (I think you'll need it.)

This is exactly (even with the number of items the customer bought - 4) that happened to me. That is really strange. I could have wrote this post. I empathize with you completely!

hurryagain · ‎10-19-2019

@monstertoybox wrote:
@maimaimai90 wrote:
I've stopped trying to compete on price. It doesn't really matter. I believe that ebay knows its buyers well, and can direct its best buyers to whatever seller it wants. After ebay 'reset' my account, I got a high-value order from a buyer who purchased 4 items at once. Then after a few days of sales, back to the cellar. Not a coincidence.

I raised my price recently on an item that I sold at break-even because - what's the point - ebay is over for me. Sure enough, I had a '5-quantity' sale of this item soon after. Doesn't make any sense, except that ebay threw me a bone to string me along for another month of subscription fees - I guess.

Whatever. Once again, I'm down another 20% this month. My sales are so low it's no longer worth worrying about. Whatever I represent to ebay as a seller, they've made it clear that I'm not important to their platform, so I'll reluctantly move on. I gave my ebay customers epic fast shipping, value for the dollar, great quality products, and excellent and hassle-free customer service. But that's not enough to be a part of the ebay community of sellers. Fair enough.

Good luck in the future ebay. (I think you'll need it.)
This is exactly (even with the number of items the customer bought - 4) that happened to me. That is really strange. I could have wrote this post. I empathize with you completely!

@maot-7...

Another thread for your reading pleasure...read message #27 while you are at it... @monstertoybox states what their sales were last year...it was a little more than a couple of bucks...

maot-7 · ‎10-19-2019

I believe that ebay knows its buyers well, and can direct its best buyers to whatever seller it wants. After ebay 'reset' my account, I got a high-value order from a buyer who purchased 4 items at once. Then after a few days of sales, back to the cellar. Not a coincidence.

What is your point exactly? I've already conceded E-Bay is manipulating their search functions, the issue is who they push to the top and why.

maimaimai90 · ‎10-20-2019

This is exactly (even with the number of items the customer bought - 4) that happened to me. That is really strange. I could have wrote this post. I empathize with you completely!

monstertoybox:

I've read your thread and comments monster, and it does look like we've both experienced the same, exact thing. It almost feels like I've been 'fired' by ebay. And it's natural to want to know why.

If it's a glitch, maybe they could fix it. If my seller 'profile' no longer fits into the ebay plan, it sure would be nice to know. I've delivered thousands of very happy customers to ebay. The least they could do is explain why we're no longer part of the plan. (Maybe I should have included a sarc tag there.)

In my case, sales have declined in such a consistent and predictable way over 8 months, I am sure it's computer programming at work. You don't have to be a genius to spot this pattern. I call it Marked for Extinction.

No sales on this Sunday, but you already knew that. With the very predictable 20% month over month decline that's due in November, my sales will be down to random noise and a few customers who purchase on a regular basis. I guess that's when I'll be officially extinct on the platform. And when I cancel my yearly subscription early, they'll screw me over for a second time with another fat penalty. Thanks guys!

When people ask me about selling online - and they always do - my advice to the newbie is crystal clear. Mercari. Simple as that. They actually have customer support who really do care about the selling experience on the platform. They proactively contact you to clear up problems and get feedback. Imagine that! Their platform is modern, relatively bug-free and so easy to use. They know exactly who they are and who they want to be in the marketplace. Contrast that with the flailing dinosaur who apparently wants to be Amazon. That'll never happen - Amazon actually knows what its doing.

With the Christmas selling season almost here, I certainly hope things turn around for you.

pink.fish.rule · ‎10-20-2019

@nuclearomen wrote:
@gamersbaystore wrote:
Oh, no denying that ebay has its fair share of problems, but the state of the economy has a lot to do with the decline in sales as well. If you're comparing sales today to 6 years ago, the cost of living 6 years ago was much less, and wages today aren't much higher. When the economy is better, you will get more sales with less listings, and vice versa.

why do you keep saying the economy? The economy is not in decline, sorry to have to tell you but if you consider the "economy" the rate of sales you have had on ebay then that's not the economy, it's YOUR sales and nothing more. The economy is and has been on a steady rate of growth just as unemployment has been lowest it's been in a decade.

Unemployment may be "low" but the figures don't tell the whole story. FT jobs with good benefits have in many many cases been replaced by 2 or 3 PT jobs with ZERO benefits and lower pay.

nuclearomen · ‎10-20-2019

@pink.fish.rule wrote:
@nuclearomen wrote:
@gamersbaystore wrote:
Oh, no denying that ebay has its fair share of problems, but the state of the economy has a lot to do with the decline in sales as well. If you're comparing sales today to 6 years ago, the cost of living 6 years ago was much less, and wages today aren't much higher. When the economy is better, you will get more sales with less listings, and vice versa.

why do you keep saying the economy? The economy is not in decline, sorry to have to tell you but if you consider the "economy" the rate of sales you have had on ebay then that's not the economy, it's YOUR sales and nothing more. The economy is and has been on a steady rate of growth just as unemployment has been lowest it's been in a decade.
Unemployment may be "low" but the figures don't tell the whole story. FT jobs with good benefits have in many many cases been replaced by 2 or 3 PT jobs with ZERO benefits and lower pay.

figures never tell the whole, especially when people talk about it without really knowing the facts. What the numbers don't show is the amount of people who are not working and either ran their unemployment benefits out or never applied for them at all yet does that or any figure accurately show who and how many are shopping online on platforms like ebay? No, because there is no studies to show that other then quarterly reports by ebay etc... and those numbers don't reflect that no one is buying nor does it suppose that buyers are only spending small amounts, like you say people are only buying on ebay at small prices like $15-$30 yet I've had quite a few sales the past week alone $70 - $120...sure would of have more if I had items listed for more which I don't but as example I know other sellers who are pulling in 20 grand + a month from ebay and they don't have small money listings so i don't believe your analogy cause it's not my own experience nor for other sellers i know. Are sales slow? I believe they are cause they have been for myself as well many many sellers up and down, but can't agree that people are not spending larger sums of money on items or blame the economy for slow ebay times cause while they have been slow for myself others are selling quite a bit. Simple put ebay is controlling the amount of sales you are getting, showing/hiding listings and directing traffic based on algorithms.

The great truth is there isn't one
And it only gets worse since that conclusion...
...There is something about the rigid posture of a proper, authentic blind
As if extended arms reached to pass his blindness onto others.

maimaimai90 · ‎10-23-2019

monstertoybox:

Update: are you using Managed Payments?

I started MP in April, and my sales have declined ever since. Last month, I just happened to find out from a potential customer that he couldn't use PayPal on my store. I thought I had finally discovered why my sales have declined, so I called MP, but they assured me all was ok.

Yesterday, a customer messaged me saying she tried twice to use PayPal on my store and it would not accept PayPal. Again! Imagine how many times customers have tried to make a purchase in my store, only to give up and move on to shop elsewhere. 99.9% will not contact ebay or message me.

Something is drastically wrong with MP and PayPal with my account, and there's now no doubt that it's the reason that my sales are approaching zero.

mam98031 · ‎10-23-2019

@maimaimai90 wrote:
monstertoybox:

Update: are you using Managed Payments?

I started MP in April, and my sales have declined ever since. Last month, I just happened to find out from a potential customer that he couldn't use PayPal on my store. I thought I had finally discovered why my sales have declined, so I called MP, but they assured me all was ok.

Yesterday, a customer messaged me saying she tried twice to use PayPal on my store and it would not accept PayPal. Again! Imagine how many times customers have tried to make a purchase in my store, only to give up and move on to shop elsewhere. 99.9% will not contact ebay or message me.

Something is drastically wrong with MP and PayPal with my account, and there's now no doubt that it's the reason that my sales are approaching zero.

I'm not sure that this problem is specific to those in MP. There has been a few complaints on various threads recently of this problem happening. I don't know what the answer is, I just know that it has happened to sellers not in MP too. I am not however aware that the problem goes back to April.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999